Treatment of mined sulfur



R. F. BACON AND H. S. DAVIS.

TREATMENT 0F MINED SULFUR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 6, |919.

1,374,897. Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

PATENT OFFICE.

UNITED STATESy RAYMOND F. 'BACON AND HAROLD S. DAVIS, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS T0 TEXAS GULF SULPHUR COMPANY, 0F BAY CITY, TEXAS, A

CORPORATION OF TEXAS.

TREATMENT 0F MINED SULFUR.

Application led October 6, 1919.

To (IN1/:710m t may concern:

Be it knoivn that ive. RAYMOND F. BACON, a citizen of the I'nited States. and HAROLD S. Davis. a citizen of the Dominion of Canada. both residing in Pittsburgh. Allegheny county. State Aof Pennsylvania. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Treatment of Mined Sulfur. C ase A;) and ive do hereby declare the following to be a full. clear. and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the, mining of certain deposits of sulfur, in regions where mineral oils exist. and ivherein the sulfur is recovered in liquid form b v preliminary liquefaction by means of Water heated to a high temperature and is then pumped to the surface of the ground. it is frequently found that more or less mineral Oil is-present in the mined sulfur. The presence of this mineral oil. even in relatively small proportion is found to be prejudicial to the burning quality of the sulfur. in stationary burners. to such an extent that there is a constant tendency for a film to form over the surface of the burning mass of sufficient importance to choke and sometimes to. entirely interruptl the combustion of the mass.

The present invention is designed to eliminate thisdifticulty. It is based upon the discovery that if the sulfur. under appropriate conditions. is heated. for a brief period. to a sufficiently high temperature. theoil contained therein vvill be carbonized` and that the sulfur with the carbonized oil present therein as one ofits ingredients can then be burned in an ordinary stationary sulfur burner Without difficulty and yvithout interference vby the carbon present. with its satisfactory and complete combustion, in spite of the fact that the carbon is of a considerably higher ignition point. The invention is of particular advantage to the industry for the reason that it makes immediately and cheaply available. for widely extended uses sulfur deposits which would otherwise require extensive manipulation to give them the same commercial availability.

In the practice of the invention. the sulfur containing the undesired percentagev of mineral Oil is discharged (preferably direct from the mine and While still in a Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 19, 1921.

Serial No. 328,934.

highly heated condition. into a receiving tank located Within a suitable heating furnace. The tank is provided with an appropriate agitator. so as to maintain and promote uniformity of the heating operation, and the furnace is provided with heating means as, for instance, an oil burner, and appropriate brick-Work) to quickly raise the charge received in the tank to the desired temperature necessary to carbonize the oil.

It is found that with appropriate apparatus. the carbonizing of the oil to the degree necessary to make the sulfur free-burning` in the sense hereinbefore indicated, may be accomplished Within as, `short a period as ten minutes, although it will be understood that the range ofl temperatures designated and the time-period. of the Operation are given merely as typical of others that may be appropriatelyv employed. During the operation, the agitator (preferably in the form of a paddle supported upon a vertical shaft and operating near the bottom ofthe tank) ivill be kept in operation so as to insure uniformity of subjection of the mass to the heating action of the furnace. A certain amount of hydrogen sulfid I Will be produced in the react-ion between the mineral Oil and the sulfur. and this may be led away to a suitable placeof discharge or recovery.

In the accompanying drawing is illustrated in vertical section a Suitable form of apparatus for the practice of the invention,

although it will be understood that the form of the apparatus may be Widely varied Withpnt departing from the spirit of the inven- In the drawing. A represents a furnace within which is sustained a receptacle B for the sulfur, said receptacle having a suitable discharge pipe as shown. The receptacle B 1s provided with a cover a valved inlet pipe c for the admission of the molten sulfur and an exit flue (Z for the escape of hydrogen'sulfid or any other vapors given off during the operation. The furnace A is provided with any suitable exit flue 'f for the products of combustion and may be heated by a fuel injector burner, indicated by e or the like. 71, indicates suitable heat storing brick-work serving as a heat storer and distributer; and z' indicates a rotary paddle or the like whose shaft m is driven from any suitable Source of power as, for

=ing period of time, dependent upon the amount of oil present in the sulfur, and the temperature employed.

As hereinbefore indicated, if the temperature of the sulfur is raised to a range of from 40() to 430 C. a comparatively short time will be required to complete the desired carbonization of the oil. At lower temperatures, a correspondingly longer period of time will be required, as will be evident and as may be determined by test samples taken.

A thermometer t is intended to' afford an indication of theprevailing/temperature, for the information and guidance of the operator.

. At the termination of the carbonizing operation, the carbon may be held suspended in the molten sulfur and homogeneously distributed therein, by suddenly cooling the mass-preferably by supplying it in the form of drops rom a reservoir thereof maintained at an approximately uniform temperature somewhat above its melting point,.to a body of cooling liquid, all as eX- plained more fully in an application of even date herewith filed by R. F. Bacon `and C. N. Wenrich for improvements in refining sulfur.

We have ascertained that when thus homogeneously distributed throughout the sulfur, the presence of the carbon does not interfere'at all with the free burning quality of the sulfur; consequently, lin this condition it is at once available-for use to maximum advantage in sulfur burners, even of the stationary type.

What we claim is: f

1. The method of improving the free burning quality of mined sulfur containing oil, which comprises carbonizing the oil by maintaining a molten body of the sulfur containing it at a temperature of from 400 C. to 430 C. for a sufficient length of time to effect the desired carbonization of the oil; substantially as described.

2. The method of improving the free yburning quality of mined sulfur containing y underground and containing oil, which comprises carbonizing the oil by maintaining a molten body of the sulfur containing it at an oil-carbonizing temperature until the desired carbonization has been effected, and cooling the resulting body of sulfur containing in admixture therewith the products' of.

the carbonizing treatment; substantially as described.

4. The method of improving the free burning quality of mined sulfur containing oil, which comprises carbonizing the oil by maintaining a molten body of the sulfur containing it at an oil-carbonizing temperature until the desired carbonization has been effected, and then fixing the carbon within the sulfur by rapidly cooling the heated product; substantially as described.

5. As a new composition of matter, a product consisting principally of sulfur and having finely-divided carbon homogeneously distributed therethrough; substantially as described.

6. As a new composition of matter, a product consisting principally of sulfur, in the form of pellets having finely divided carbon homogeneously distributed therethrough; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we aiiix our-signatures.

RAYMOND F. BAcoN. HAROLD s. Davis. 

